2018 ESP Nominee: Aspen Surgical Bard-Parker Surgical Blade With Loader

The 2018 Excellence in Surgical Products Awards will be presented in the November/December issue of Surgical Products. Leading up to the publication of that issue, nominees will be featured on the Surgical Products website.

Category: Safety

Product description and innovation synopsis:

Aspen Surgical’s Bard-Parker Plus Blade with Loader is the first of its kind. The new Blade with Loader contains a convenient puncture-resistant loading cartridge, allowing the user to quickly and safely put a surgical blade onto their existing conventional surgical handle without ever needing to touch a sharp blade with their fingers, or load a blade using forceps. And the best part? The surgeon can use the same conventional Bard-Parker blade they have trusted for many years, while also helping to protect staff.

What sets this product apart from others available in the industry?

Compared to the traditional method of placing a scalpel blade onto a handle with a needle clamps or forceps, the Blade with Loader has a patented design that is quick and easy to use, while helping to avoid direct hand contact with the blade during the loading process. The new Bard Parker Blade with Loader also allows blades on the back table or mayo stand to remain protected until they are ready for use, helping to prevent a hand injury when a hand is passed along that table or stand.

How does this product benefit the surgical team and aid in better outcomes?

Because there has been some resistance to adopting safety scalpels in the operating room, the Bard-Parker team has been focused on other products that can help protect staff in a facility where conventional scalpels are being used. We know that 12 percent of scalpel injuries in the OR occur when staff is either loading or removing blades from the handle. We also know from EPINET data that the incidence of sharps injuries in the Operating Room are the highest of any other setting and have continued to climb from 2015 to 2016, making up 47 percent of sharps injuries. With this in mind, we have developed a product that makes loading the blade safer and easier for staff by helping to protect their hands, but does not change the surgeon’s practice of using the blade. We hope for greater adoption of safety in the Operating Room with the new Bard Park Blade Plus Loader.